Biomerieux, Inc.

Biomerieux Sa

Christian Vincent

Guy Serre

Michel C Jolivet

Mireille Sebbag

Colette Jolivet-Reynaud

Pascal T Dalbon

Michel Simon

Michel Arnaud

Odile Letourneur

Brigitte Incaurgarat

Elisabeth Girbal-Neuhauser

Maria Léonor Nogueira

Gerard Somme

A method for detecting anti-filaggrin-autoantibodies specific to rheumatoid arthritis in a biological sample, by providing a filaggrin with no citrulline residues (FNC) having an arginine residue or a filaggrin peptide with no citrulline residues (PFNC) having an arginine residue. Also provided are a citrulline-containing filaggrin (FC) having the peptide sequence of the FNC where some arginine residues have been converted to citrulline residues or a citrulline-containing peptide (PFC) having the peptide sequence of the PFNC, where at least one arginine residue has been converted to a citrulline residue. The sample is contacted with the FNC or PFNC and the FC or PFC, and the resulting immune complexes are detected and quantified, with a value Xand X, respectively. Anti-filaggrin-autoantibodies specific to rheumatoid arthritis are determined to be present in the biological sample if the value of Xis greater than the value of X.

Method for detecting rheumatoid arthritis-specific autoantibodies

The invention concerns an artificial antigen specifically identified by the anti-filaggrin autoantibodies present in the serum of patients suffering from rheumatoid polyarthritis, and consisting of one polypeptide comprising all or part of the sequence of one filaggrin unit or of a related molecule, in which an arginine radical has been substituted by a citrulline radical. The invention also concerns the use of this antigen for diagnosing rheumatoid polyarthritis.

Antigens derived from filaggrin and their use for diagnosing rheumatoid polyarthritis

The present invention relates to antigens extracted from mammalian malpighian epithelia, in particular rat esophageal epithelium or human epidermis, which are specifically recognized by the autoantibodies present in patients suffering form rheumatoid arthritis in respect of antigenic determinants in common with filaggrin and human profilaggrin, as well as to the antigenic proteins of which said antigens are composed and to the peptide fragments derived therefrom. The invention relates to the use of these antigens, proteins and peptide fragments, and that of filaggrin and human profilaggrin, for the preparation of antigenic compositions, and to their applications, in particular for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The invention also relates to the preparation of antibodies directed towards these antigens, and to their applications.

Antigens recognized by antibodies to rheumatoid arthritis, their

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Lauzerville, France

Christian Vincent